The highways department has written to Chennai Metro Rail seeking funds to restore the 4.8-km stretch from Little Mount to Officers Training Academy (OTA).
It has sought Rs. 22 crore to restore the riding surface for the complete width of 14 metres.
An official in the Department said the entire stretch was cut to shift service lines and make way for Metro Rail work. Also, the road width was reduced to seven metres due to erection of barricades.
The reduced width carried the weight of over 1.5 lakh vehicles every day, all these months. Due to this, the surface had been disturbed, rendering cold milling impossible. Hence, the entire stretch had to be strengthened, the official said.
Vallimayil Palanichamy, a resident of Adambakkam, who uses the road to commute to the TVS area on Anna Salai, said the road was badly damaged just after Kathipara grade separator towards the Meenambakkam side.
“It has road cuts and near the pillars, building debris has been dumped, making driving difficult. Traffic also slows down near the barricades,” she said.
Two-wheeler riders are the most affected as even a slight variance in road surface can cause accidents and prove fatal.
R. Gokul, who commutes regularly from Guindy to Karapakkam, said the stretch from Chellammal College towards the church at Little Mount is in a bad shape. “Many vehicles avoid the space near the barricades. This is a road that leads to the airport. It should be maintained in a better manner,” he said.
“We have been receiving complaints from road users. However, as we are yet to receive funds we have not been able to take up work even in spots where Metro Rail work has been completed,” said the Highways official.
